Bishandas

Bishandas
File:Detail of the artist Bishandas, from a illustrated folio containing a self-portrait of the artist Daulat and portraits of the artists Govardhan, Bishandas, Manohar, Abu'l-Hasan, by Daulat, ca.1610.jpg Portrait of Bishandas by Daulat, c. 1610, detail of the border illumination, Golestan Palace Library, Tehran
Style	Mughal
Patron(s)	Jahangir and Shah Abbas I

Bishandas was a 17th-century Mughal painter at the court of the Mughal emperor Jahangir (1569–1627), specializing in portraits. Jahangir praised him as "unrivalled in the art of portraiture". Though little is known of Bishandas’ life, his name suggests he was a Hindu, like several others in the imperial workshop. In 1613 he was sent on a diplomatic mission to Persia, to paint the portraits of Shah Abbas I of Persia (1571–1629) and other leading Persian figures. Here he was so successful that he remained until 1620, and on his return Jahangir gave him an elephant.

Gallery

• Portrait of Raja Suraj Singh of Jodhpur, Jahangir's brother in law.[2]
  Portrait of Raja Suraj Singh of Jodhpur, Jahangir's brother in law.
• Shaikh Phul in His Hermitage, c. 1610
  Shaikh Phul in His Hermitage, c. 1610
• The Birth of a Prince, c. 1610–15, from a Jahangirnama (Tuzk-e-Jahangiri)
  The Birth of a Prince, c. 1610–15, from a Jahangirnama (Tuzk-e-Jahangiri)
• Nur Jahan holding a portrait of Jahangir, c. 1627 (detail)
  Nur Jahan holding a portrait of Jahangir, c. 1627 (detail)
• Vasiṣṭha Greets Shiva and Parvati, c. 1602
  Vasiṣṭha Greets Shiva and Parvati, c. 1602

References

• Crill, Rosemary, and Jariwala, Kapil. The Indian Portrait, 1560–1860, National Portrait Gallery, London, 2010, ISBN 9781855144095